SOTU Analysis: Rebuilding America

In this series of blog posts, Senator Coons' legislative staff shares their analysis of the President's State of the Union address with Delawareans.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening our economy by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. Improving our nation's infrastructure is critical to ensuring our long-term competitiveness in the global marketplace.

President Obama proposed a “Fix-It-First” program to "put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country."  He also stated that "to make sure taxpayers don¹t shoulder the whole burden, I¹m also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods; modern pipelines to withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children."

Senator Coons believes we must make critical investments in our nation's infrastructure to ensure that goods can reach markets, employees can access jobs, and businesses are incentivized to invest in new production facilities here in the United States. He also believes that we must leverage private investment to do so. That's why Chris has supported the creation of a national infrastructure bank to bring more private investment into infrastructure projects. A national infrastructure bank would help state and local governments finance repairs to their critical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, railways, energy networks, water and sewer systems.

Chris is also a leading advocate for deepening the Delaware River from 40 feet to 45 feet in order to accommodate larger cargo vessels. This project is expected to bring an additional 75,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout the Delaware Valley, as well as an increase of 2.5 million tons of cargo per year to the area¹s ports. Chris is also a cosponsor of the bipartisan Harbor Maintenance Act, a revenue-neutral bill that requires the fees collected from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to be used for just that purpose, maintaining ports nationwide.

Chris is also a strong supporter of Amtrak and high-speed rail development and he fought hard for a long-term reauthorization of the transportation bill. He was proud to support the bipartisan Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, which provides $105 billion for the nation's surface transportation programs through fiscal year 2014, and will save and create around three million jobs nationwide.

ICYMI: Sen. Coons talks Delaware River dredging in interview

Dredging Today published a Q&A on Tuesday highlighting Senator Chris Coons’ thoughts on the job-creating potential of the Delaware River dredging project currently underway.

We are already seeing signs of job creation and growth as a result of the Delaware River dredging project. I have heard from businesses, labor leaders and private equity companies that they see the Port of Wilmington and the other ports on the Delaware River as perfectly situated to handle more cargo and take advantage of their proximity to major population centers on the East Coast. With the completion of the 45’ channel in the Delaware River, we will see tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs created as ports are expanded, cargo volume increases and people are hired to handle every downstream aspect of what comes in and what goes out.

Click here to read the full article.  

Senator Coons sees job opportunities in Delaware River dredging

It has been a big week for the Delaware River, and for the new jobs that will come to the region when the river is deepened to accommodate larger ships and more trade.

On Wednesday, Senator Coons announced that the Army Corps of Engineers designated nearly $17 million for the dredging project in their 2012 work plan. Today, the release of President Obama’s budget plan for Fiscal Year 2013 included another $31 million for the dredging project.

“Deepening the Delaware River is really about keeping our region and our nation competitive in the global economy,” Chris told the News Journal. “Deeper waters mean bigger ships can come in and out of the Port of Wilmington. That means new opportunities for businesses in the region and more jobs here in Delaware. I'm glad it's part of the President's budget proposal and will work to protect it in Congress."

This project deepens the Delaware River channel from 40 to 45 feet in order to accommodate larger vessels. This will reduce shipping costs and make maritime transportation more efficient, bringing more trade and making our region more attractive to private investment.  The project is expected to create an estimated 75,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout the Delaware Valley. This includes permanent, high-paying jobs as well as short-term construction jobs that will aid an industry hit hard by the economic downturn. 

After listening carefully to Delawareans and determining the dredging delivers on their desire to create jobs while also protecting our environment, Chris has been fighting hard to ensure the project has the resources necessary to proceed. Working with Senators Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), he filed a bipartisan amendment to the FY 2012 appropriations bill that sought to increase federal funding for ongoing navigation projects. The final FY 2012 appropriations bill included $74 million for the account, which was used to fund the Delaware River deepening as well as other projects across the country.

Additionally, Senators Carper, Coons, and Casey sent letters to Assistant Secretary of the Army-Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy and the Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew in December asking for additional funding for the dredging project.